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Flower Power

Ruby is attending a YMCA day camp this week. She wasn’t too sure about it at first.

“Are my cousins going to be there?” she asked Sunday, the night before the first day.

“No,” I said.

She looked nervous, her eyes wide open with anxiety. She didn’t want to go somewhere knowing no one. She’d have nobody to play with.

Think fast, Mom!

“But,” I said, “you can scout it out. If it’s good, maybe they’ll go next year. You can give them the scoop.”

She brightened. She liked the idea. Because, at the heart of it, Ruby likes trying new things. In fact, this week’s camp theme is “Mysteries in Your Own Backyard.” Ruby enjoys making discoveries, too. She has an adventurous spirit.

Which is why, I suspect, she’s the only girl in her 7-kid team. All the rest of the campers are boys. It’s like Snow White and The 6 Non-Short Dwarves. Only none of them are miners. But they are minors. Anyway…

She’s gone swimming. She’s been out in the paddle boat – with life jacket securely fastened. She ate grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, her all-time favorite. She bounced on the water trampoline (super cool!). She climbed a rock wall. She shot arrows into a target.

“I hurt my arm doing that!” she said.

Yesterday, despite all the exciting new activities, she came home discouraged.

“I kept making mistakes!” she said, her face dark. Jonathon and I looked at each other. We didn’t know what she meant. We asked for an explanation, but she only shook her head.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she muttered. She stalked to the couch and turned on the TV.

Ruby likes to master things. Struggling to learn something new puts her in a bit of a funk. But I’m like that, too. And so is Zac. Really, most people I know don’t like to hit a wall right away while trying a new endeavor. It’s tempting to give up. Why even try? All learning curves seem steep at the beginning.

Yet Ruby, aka Flower Power, went back to camp today. She had a good dinner last night. She slept well. She made up her mind to keep on giving it her best. She decided to stay encouraged during the process. Well, she didn’t say it in so many words, but her attitude said it for her.

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.– James 1:4